


The Canary Rises

by wizardsthirdrule



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Fix-It, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-01 13:08:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6521008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wizardsthirdrule/pseuds/wizardsthirdrule
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Arrow fix-it fic taking place after 4.18. Laurel Lance isn’t as dead as everyone thought and is about to begin a brand new journey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Laurel bolted upright, pain searing through her abdomen as her eyes danced wildly around the room, trying desperately to adjust to the dim light. The room was quiet with the only sound coming from her ragged breathing.  Completely disoriented, she had no idea where she was or what was happening. A feeling of dread started to grow in the pit of Laurel’s stomach. She hated the feeling of not knowing. With a deep breath, she began to swing her legs over the edge of the bed but was quickly paralyzed by the pain that started in her abdomen and radiated throughout her body. Laurel let out an involuntary yelp as tears began pooling in her eyes.

  
“Hey, hey, hey,” a familiar voice called out, “just stay in bed, you’re ok”.

“Ollie?” Laurel asked, furrowing her brows.

“I’m here” he softly replied, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“What – what is going on? Where am I. Where is…”  Laurel stuttered.

“Shhhh” Ollie whispered as he gave her a warm smile, “You’re still in Star City, but I had to find a place to hide you in order to keep you safe.”

“Safe? Safe from… oh” Laurel’s face fell as her hand traveled down her stomach till it made contact with a row of stitches. Wincing as her hand grazed over the wound, her mind suddenly became clear and she recalled the events that led up to this moment –the arrow, Darhk, the hospital, everything.

Choking back tears Laurel turned her attention back to Oliver, “So the plan worked, huh?”

“It did” he replied.    

“So… everyone thinks I’m dead?”

“They do”.

“Good” she sighed with relief.

Laurel thought about the talk she and Oliver had back in the hospital after the rest of the team left her room.  She knew Darhk would never stop coming after her or the rest of her family if she were still alive. And if anything were to happen to any of them because of her, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

* * *

 

  
_“I’m scared, Ollie. We know what Darhk is capable of. We know he won’t hesitate to go after someone’s family. Just look what he did to William, to me. I can’t let anything happen to my family. I just can’t.” Laurel told Oliver, voice hoarse after her surgery. Oliver was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed with his hands wrapped around hers._

_“I know” he responded, “We’ll do whatever we can to keep them safe”_

_“Darhk has the idol back, and as much as I hate to admit it, we’re powerless against him,” she said._

_Oliver clenched his jaw and sighed._ _“Well, what do you want us to do Laurel? I doubt your father would agree to go into hiding, especially after what Darhk did to you. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t already plotted a hundred different plans for revenge.”_

_Laurel gave him a small smile, but it faded almost instantaneously as she began to stare at Oliver with a steely expression.  
“We could fake my death,” she said, her voice low and hard._

_“What? Are you serious?” Oliver exclaimed, but one glance at the grave look on Laurel’s face and he knew she was._

_“Yes. If everyone thinks I’m dead, Darhk may just leave my family alone. He’ll think he won. Besides, I’m in no fighting condition and if he thinks I’m still alive… Well, I bet he’d make sure to finish the job” she explained._

_“I – I don’t know Laurel,” Oliver replied hesitantly._

_“Well do you have any better ideas?” she snapped._

_Oliver pursed his lips and wrinkled his brow, desperately trying to concoct a plan that didn’t involve Laurel pretending to be dead. Minutes passed and he still couldn’t come up with anything._

_Finally, he let out an exasperated sigh, “Fine. If you’re sure that’s what you want, I’ll help you fake your death”._

_Laurel smiled sadly at him and squeezed his hand.  
“Thank you,” she whispered, “when should we do it?”_

_“I can do it right now” Oliver replied._

_Laurel gave him a puzzled look, “How?”_

_“I learned a trick back on Lian Yu” he replied. “So if you’re ready…”  
_

_Laurel tried her hardest to get some words past the large lump growing in her throat, but all she could manage was a teary nod. Oliver, with tears of his own welling in his eyes, solemnly returned her nod. He slowly stood up and made his way to the front of her bed. Bending down, he gave her a long, gentle kiss on the forehead before whispering, “See you on the other side, pretty bird”._

_Laurel’s lips quivered, her head filled with the sound of her heart beating loudly in her chest. She felt Oliver place his hands on her and before she knew it her world was silent and surrounded by darkness._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurel, Oliver, and an old friend discuss the next step in the plan.

“So,” Laurel said once she regained her composure, “What’s the plan now? Am I just supposed to stay cooped up in this run-down apartment until Darhk is no longer a threat or what?”

“No,” Oliver replied, “While you were, uh, dead, I had some time to make other arrangements.”

Laurel narrowed her eyes. “What kind of arrangements?”

Oliver began to answer but was interrupted by the sound of the apartment’s doorknob slowly turning.  He turned to Laurel, holding a finger up to his mouth, signaling her to be quiet before carefully making his way towards the door. The sound of the doorknob jiggling was becoming more violent, clearly whoever was trying to get in was starting to get frustrated. Laurel’s mind was racing. Did the plan not work? Had Darhk found her? She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down, then turned to find Oliver looking through the peephole in the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he sighed, the tension in his body released, “Nyssa, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Nyssa? Laurel thought. Did she hear that right?

“I thought you were one of Darhk’s men or something trying to break in the way you were manhandling the doorknob,” Oliver snapped.

“Well perhaps if you bothered to see if this key worked before handing it to me, dear husband, I would not have needed to make such a racket,” the assassin snapped back. 

Oliver clenched his jaw, trying very hard to keep his temper in check.   
“Nyssa, for the hundredth time I am not your…“

But Nyssa, dismissing his complaints with a small wave, had already marched past Oliver and made her way to the bed where her friend was lying. “Laurel, I am so glad to see that you are alive and well.”

“Nyssa!” Laurel said with a smile as the women reached down to give her a gentle hug. “Don’t get me wrong,” she continued, “I’m thrilled to see you, but what are you doing here in Star City?”

“Shortly after Oliver helped you fake your death, he contacted me and described the situation. He asked if I would help keep you safe from Darhk and his men while you heal,” Nyssa explained.

“Ahh,” Laurel said as she glanced over at Oliver, “so this is the other arrangements you had planned.” Oliver gave her a small smile and shrugged.  

“Don’t worry about it,” Laurel told Nyssa when she noticed the puzzled look on the woman’s face, “Why don’t you tell me what you’ve got planned?”

Nyssa nodded. “You are to remain here in Star City until you are well enough to travel. Since I still have access to the League’s safe houses, as soon as you feel fit we shall make our way to whichever one of those you chose. I shall remain by your side until Mr. Queen believes it is safe enough for you to return home.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” Laurel responded, “No one better to keep me safe than the former Ras al Ghul”. Nyssa beamed with pride, clearly pleased by the fact Laurel felt safe in her care.

“But,” Laurel teased, “are you sure you’re up to taking care of me while I recover? You don’t really strike me as the nursing type”.

Nyssa, clearly offended, replied, “I am more than capable of taking care of your wounds, Laurel. I have tended to many league members in much worse condition than you, including your sister. You will be back to fighting form in no time.”

“Hey, I was just teasing you. I know I am in great hands,” Laurel said, grabbing Nyssa’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Nyssa returned the squeeze with a small smile, but still looked a tad annoyed at Laurel’s attempt at a joke.

“Well, I better head back to the bunker and see how everyone is doing. Things have been rough for the rest of the team since they think they saw you die.” The two women were startled by the sound of Oliver’s voice, having forgotten that he was there. He walked over to Laurel and put his hand on her shoulder.  
“I’ll be back to check on you later,” he said, “Nyssa will be here if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Ollie,” Laurel responded, putting her hand on his, “You sure you can’t let them know I’m ok? I mean, they are our friends after all. Besides, Nyssa knows, what’s a few more?”

“No Laurel,” he replied, “It’s too risky. We can’t let anyone else know that you’re alive, understand?”

“But…” she started 

“No.” Oliver interrupted. “You knew this was part of the deal when you came up with the plan, so don’t go changing your mind now.”

“Fine,” Laurel huffed. She knew he was right, but her stomach turned at the thought of lying to her friends and the pain they must be feeling thinking she was gone for good.

“I’m leaving now,” Oliver said as he made his way to the door, “Nyssa, make sure Laurel doesn’t contact anyone while I’m gone.”

“As you wish, husband,” Nyssa replied.

Laurel could see Oliver’s body stiffen at the mention of the word husband. He let out a frustrated sigh before marching out the door. Laurel quickly turned  to look at Nyssa and asked, “Why do you still call Oliver your husband? When you disbanded the league I assumed it nullified your marriage. Besides, you two don’t exactly get along.”

Nyssa shrugged. “I find it rather amusing to watch him squirm.” Laurel’s laugh turned into a groan as she grabbed her stomach.

“Laurel, what’s wrong?” Nyssa asked, worry filling her dark eyes.

“Nothing,” Laurel assured her, “just hurts when I laugh.”

Nyssa sighed in relief. “Well if there is anything I can get for you, do not hesitate to ask,” she said.

“I think I’m good, thanks,” Laurel responded.

“Then I should let you get some rest. Star City is not safe for you at the moment so it is important we get you feeling well enough to travel as soon as possible”.

Laurel nodded in agreement and began to settle back into the bed. Once Nyssa had arranged the blankets on top of Laurel in a fashion that suited her liking, she began to make her way to the couch located on the other side of the room.

“Wait, Nyssa!” Laurel called out.  The assassin stopped in her tracks and rushed back to her side.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I actually thought of something I need you to do for me,” Laurel said.

“Of course. Anything.” Nyssa replied.

Laurel smiled, glad to have a friend like Nyssa to help her throughout this whole ordeal. She almost felt a bit bad about asking her for this favor. Almost.


	3. Chapter 3

If there was one thing Nyssa al Ghul was bad at, it was saying no to the Lance sisters. Normally, if the assassin told someone “no”, no amount of arguing or pleading would get her to change her mind. But for some reason with the Lance sisters, it was a different story. When Nyssa would disagree with Sara, all it took was some begging and occasionally a heated debate and Nyssa would eventually (though often reluctantly) take Sara’s side. She never quite figured out what it was about Sara that made her so willing to change her mind, but whatever it was it was clearly a familial trait. For as she found out earlier that evening she could not bring herself to say no to Laurel, no matter how badly she wanted to.

Which is why, at nearly two in the morning, Nyssa found herself crouching on a rooftop in Star City. The night was surprisingly peaceful for a city riddled with criminals, Nyssa thought. She did not see any other signs of life as she surveyed the area around her, once, twice, and a third time just to be sure. The gentle pitter-patter of rain bouncing off the sidewalks and far-off barking of a dog were the only sounds that filled the cool night air. While she might not completely agree with the favor Laurel asked her to do, Nyssa was glad to get a chance to don her assassin clothing and perform a hit. Since disbanding the League, she found herself struggling to find her place in the world. Yet hiding in the shadows, preparing to take down a target, comforted the assassin, the familiarity a welcomed relief from the struggles of trying to fit into a society she fears she does not belong.

Carefully, Nyssa crept over to the edge of the rooftop, giving herself a better view of a window in the neighboring building. Though the curtains are drawn, she can see the silhouette of her target pacing around the room. Taking a quick look around to make sure she was still alone, Nyssa pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow. Dark eyes locked on the shadow, she pulled back the string and steadied her aim. With a deep sigh, Nyssa released her grip on the string, sending the arrow whizzing through the night sky. When the figure behind the drapes collapsed moments later, she knew she had made her mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry it took so long to add the next chapter and that it's a little on the short side, but life has been crazy and I've barely been able to find time to write. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!


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